The Baker's Wife review

As an ameture foodie and a serious bibliophile, I love when these two passions come together. In other words, I love foodie novels.  I just finished one and started another.

The one I recently finished is The Baker's Wife by Erin Healy. It's an enjoyable Christian suspense/mystery with a supernatural element to it.  Supernatural elements appear to be a gathering trend in Christian novels.

But it does not dominate the story in this one.

In this one, the paranormal element is that the main character, the baker's wife, has the ability to physically feel other people's pain. Not everyone's pain, just the people that God intends her to help or serve in some way. So it functions as a means of God speaking to her and directing her to people who need His help.

It elevates the notion that pain is a gift (see Phillip Yancy and Dr. Paul Brand) to a whole new level.

Here's the story's set-up:

Before Audrey was the baker's wife, she was the pastor's wife. Then a scandalous lie cost her husband a pastoral career. Now the two work side-by-side running a bakery, serving coffee, and baking fresh bread. But the hurt still pulls at Audrey.

Early one morning on her way to the bakery, Audrey's car strikes something at a fog-shrouded intersection. She finds a crumpled motor scooter belonging to a local teacher. Blood is everywhere, but there's no trace of a body.  As the story unfolds, Audrey has no choice but to work with a soul-damaged ex-con and a cynical teen to solve the mystery of the missing body and clear her name. But she'll never manage that unless she taps into something she would rather leave behind - her excruciating ability to feel other's pain.

Naturally, my favorite parts of this novel were the descriptions of the couple baking all kinds of bread at home on their days off. No bread machines here - all from scratch and by hand. They did, however, use their dishwasher as a steam bath for the loaves! I also adored the description of the large, wood-fired brick oven they later used in their retail bakery kitchen.

See some of what I'm referring to in this section of the novel on Google books.

Just so happened I read the description of their wood-fired oven while on the way to visit my brother up north. And he'd just had a brick oven built in his backyard. Yes, I know - how very Gwyneth Paltrow of him.  I tried to keep my jealousy to a minimum as we ate homemade pizzas from his oven, poolside.

Also while reading this one, I visited the region of California that makes this novel's setting. An area famous for thick car-accident-causing fog, which figures prominently in this suspense.

Healy handles each element of this story just as deftly as she does the bread description. She weaves her characters and plot lines together intricately and well.

At times the antagonist (aka the bad guy) in the story felt a little one dimensional, but then bad guys usually are. At least in stories.  The rest of the main characters are well developed - complete with hurts, hopes, dreams and fears. Together they manage to find their way out of a horrific experience and teach us some lessons about judgement, grace, and trusting God.

If you like inspirational mystery/suspense, I bet you'll like this one. And if you like foodie novels, this one will make you want to bake some bread. Adding to the power of the book, last week I was on the phone with my agent who is learning to make french loaves from scratch.  So I can feel a major bread baking obsession coming on.

Before you go, see my last post - Gift Ideas from the Bookstore - for an idea on turning this novel into a great Christmas gift for a book-lover or bread-lover you know. And if you read The Baker's Wife, let us know what you thought of it.

Gift ideas from the bookstore

Thanks for stopping by today. A quick look around here and you'll know at least two things about me: I'm a word lover, and a lover of the Word Made Flesh. So with this post I'm offering a few holiday gift ideas that mix the two.

First off, let me say a great place to discover Christian fiction is over at She Reads. You'll find my review of the new Melody Carlson novel The Christmas Shoppe posted over there today. Pop over, check it out, and comment there to win a copy of the novel.

You'll also find my review of Dan Walsh's holiday novel Remembering Christmas posted here on my blog. Either of these novels would make a sweet present tucked into a gift bag with a festive tin of hot cocoa  - something like this one from Williams & Sonoma. Maybe add some peppermint candy stirring sticks - like these from Dillards. Or a faux fur throw to read underneath - I love these which are currently at half price at Macy's (but a snuggie would work too).

Got a girlfriend who loves football?  I have a couple! Create the same gift above but use the novel The Great Christmas Bowl by Susan May Warren. Better yet, replace the cocoa with red and green tortilla chips and some salsa for game day. And find a throw with her favorite team's logo.

Got a girlfriend who loves mystery or suspense? Grab a basket, fill it with a couple of fresh loaves of bread - maybe one sweet and one savory - and a copy of The Baker's Wife by Erin Healy. You can put a little jar of local honey in the basket too. I'll post my review of this novel later this week.

Have a young boy on your gift list? I highly recommend The Action Bible. It's a Bible done in comic book style with terrific color illustrations. My elementary-school son loves his.

It's hard to pick out a Bible for someone else, but one that I've given as a gift to both men and women is the C.S. Lewis Bible. I have one that lives on my treadmill where I sometimes do my quiet time - admittedly it's not all that quiet on those days. But if you know someone is a Lewis fan or a Narnia fan, package this Bible with the DVD set of the movies.  This could even be a gift for a pastor.

Got a foodie on your list? Get some butcher paper and wrap up a new cookbook (such as The New Best Recipe, or one specialized to her tastes ... Italian cooking, Farm-to-Table, Gluten-free, etc.). Include a devotional book too (like this one or this one) and a card with the "man does not live by bread alone but by every word that come out of the mouth of God" quote from Deut. 8:3 or Matthew 4:4.  Oh, and tell her she has to have you over when she makes one of the recipes!

Finally, if your girlfriend is more of a non-fiction fan, may I suggest a copy of It's No Secret: Revealing Divine Truths Every Woman Should Know wrapped up with a pretty journal and some Starbucks' Christmas blend coffee? This cover is ready made in Christmas colors.

Got any books you like to give as gifts, or one you're hoping to receive this Christmas? ... do tell.

My Christmas Tree 2011

Over on Facebook (are you and I friends on FB?) a few people asked to see photos of my Christmas tree. Hence, today's post.

I put my tree up this year the Sunday before Thanksgiving. What, too soon you think?  I've been quite pleased with that decision so far. So here is this year's rendition of the tree:

Every year my tree is a little different. Ok, some years it is a lot different - I have a husband that is patient with my Christmas tree love.  I'm also a logophile (word lover), so that played into this year's theme.

The whole thing started from a spool of ribbon I found on sale. I knew my kids would love this ribbon, and they do. It set the tone for a slightly more whimsical tree than recent years. It also dictated the green, red and gold color scheme - not surprising colors for a Christmas tree.

(whimsy)

I made the bow - googled how to do it, watched a couple videos and voila. It was easy.

I added the red spikey branch things for drama. My tree always has to have a little drama. Just to be clear, I like drama in my tree and novels, but notsomuch in my relationships.

OK, your turn. What's your tree style?  I'd love to see pics of your tree. If you've posted photos online please tell me how to get there! 

Remembering Christmas review

Today I’m featured at Karen Ehman’s blog in her 12 Days of Christmas … which is really twelve days of giveaways. I’ll be giving away a copy of my book It’s No Secret, a $10 Starbucks gift card, and a copy of the new Christmas novel Remembering Christmas.

I recently finished reading Remembering Christmas by Dan Walsh – here’s my review. 

Rick Denton is climbing the corporate ladder as an accountant and enjoying his bachelorhood. It’s Thanksgiving and he is thankful to have left his childhood home in Florida years ago – he has little interest in going back to visit his mother and step-dad now. That’s exactly what he must do, however, when his mom calls with news of her husband’s aneurysm. She needs his help managing their small Christian bookstore while she keeps vigil in the hospital.

Rick is out of his element in Seabreeze, FL. He doesn’t do small town. And he doesn’t do Christian. He hardly does compassion. What he thought would be a few days has stretched into weeks. And his heart – towards God and family – is being stretched in the process.

Remember the age of cassette tapes and pay phones? Set in the 1980s, Remembering Christmas is a heart-warming story by best-selling author Dan Walsh. It takes place during the holidays but this novel could really be read any time of the year. In fact, the cover photo and title led me to expect more "Christmasness" in this story than was actually there – but it is there.

And maybe that’s the strength of this novel. It’s not a mittens-and-kittens holiday novel. Remembering Christmas is a story about broken relationships – complete with misconceptions, unresolved feelings and distorted memories. But it's also a sweet story about reconciliation and slowing down to experience the true treasures of life. I can’t think of a better time of the year for that.

The main character in the book is a male – that’s a switch from most of the fiction we read over at She Reads. But his tale is told through a narrator, so we don’t spend the whole novel in Rick’s head. (Not that I would mind that.) Rick seems an accurate portrayal – a well drawn character.

Also, I will tell you this story has a twist. But I won’t tell you what it is. You’ll just have to read it. I will say that it stays with me.

Former pastor turned author Dan Walsh said, "I wanted to bring an inspirational, entertaining Christmas story to life. One that, hopefully, will stir hearts and minds to consider what matters most during the holiday season." He has done that in this tale.

I can confidently recommend Dan’s book if you want a holiday read, and mine if you want something to embolden your walk with God. So be sure and pop over to Karen’s blog and comment to win.  And if you win, tell me what you order with your Starbuck’s card – I love hearing what people order at the coffee counter. Currently I'm all into their crème brulee latte.